Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia
Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia is the second expansion pack for Final Fantasy XI. This expansion pack brings several new areas, quests, and a new mission storyline to the game. It is also the only expansion thus far to not feature additional jobs. Chains of Promathia, commonly referred to as CoP by English players, is the first expansion to come out after Final Fantasy XI was released outside of Japan. It was designed to be a challenge for hardcore players while also focusing on the delivery of an immersive story with an ensemble cast. For this reason, Chains of Promathia had the longest storyline and some of the hardest missions found in Final Fantasy XI at its release. The difficulty of these missions have since been lowered after years of feedback from players. Service for Chains of Promathia commenced on September 22, 2004 (JST). New Additions Missions & Quests As Chains of Promathia is strongly focused on new missions, new content (in particular new areas) can be progressively unlocked by clearing the missions. Unlike with Rise of the Zilart, there are no prerequisites required to start on main story missions. New quests are also available for players to undertake. Enemies This list does not include reskinned enemies of the same genus or unique bosses. Areas New Regions New Zones Gameplay Systems Listed in order of implementation. *Clamming *Additional Orb Battles *Empty Notorious Monsters (ENM) *Lumoria NM System *Limbus *Dreamworld Dynamis *Brenner *Voidwatch Characters Apart from each player's own character, who drives the storyline forward, there are a number of other non-playable characters that take on significant roles in the Chains of Promathia storyline. *'Prishe' is the story heroine in Chains of Promathia. She is a foul-mouthed strong-willed girl hailing from Tavnazia, where she has earned the nickname "Abhorrent One". *'Ulmia' is Prishe's childhood friend and also hails from Tavnazia. Gifted with a beautiful voice, she was once a member of the Tavnazian choir. *'Tenzen', a messenger from the Far East, has come to the Middle Lands in a bid to stop the Emptiness that has engulfed his homeland. *Sir Louverance is a former Royal Knight and grandson of Francmage, the San d'Orian representative on the Northland expedition. *'Jabbos' is a Galka who has lived life in seclusion with the moblins of Movalpolos. *The Mithran Trackers are three sin hunters comprising of Shikaree X, Y and Z. They seek out criminals to mete out justice under Mithran law. *'Esha'ntarl' is the acting Duke Vicarious in Jeuno. She is in charge of the affairs of the Duchy in the absence of the Archduke. *The Chebukki Siblings are three playful Tarutaru born in Tavnazia who are always causing trouble with their mischievous antics. *The Enimatic Youth is a mysterious boy who appears to be linked to the destructive force known as Emptiness. *'Nag'molada' is a Jeunoan diplomat who is skilled in the art of negotiation. *'Promathia', the Twilight God, is said to have cursed mankind for attempting to open the gates to Paradise. Story Chapter 1: Ancient Flames Beckon On Qufim Island, Jeuno scientists in Delkfutt's Tower are baffled when the flow of energy in the northern crystal line reverses. An explosion occurs, presumably killing all the scientists. The Ducal Guard led by Wolfgang rush there to find an enigmatic youth who survived the explosion and take him to the infirmary in Upper Jeuno. In the sea to the north of the tower, the ruler of the skies Bahamut emerges from the water. He issues a warning to the children of Vana'diel, stating that the arrival of the Keeper of the Apocalypse is near and calls for his minions to spill the blood of the gods. Monberaux, the physician in Jeuno, finds the youth uninjured and does not know what is wrong with him. When the player visits the infirmary, the mysterious boy awakens and gives him an amulet. The Ducal Guard, together with a Jeunoan diplomat Nag'molada, attempt to bring the boy in for questioning but he runs away and vanishes. The player investigates shattered telepoint crystals at the crags of Holla, Mea and Dem, and is drawn into the dark realm of Promyvion. After climbing to the spire within Promyvion and defeating monstrosities known as the Empty, the player arrives at a giant crystal known as the mothercrystal. Nag'molada arrives and tries to kill the player to prevent harm to the crystal, but is stopped by the mysterious boy who appears and blocks the pursuers with shrouds of darkness. At the third crag the player arrives at, he is ambushed by Nag'molada and the Ducal Guard who had been waiting for him. Although Wolfgang hesitates on Nag'molada's orders to kill the player, he strikes the mysterious boy down without a fight. The boy however appears unhurt even after being smote and draws them into Promyvion. When the player reaches the mothercrystal at that crag, Nag'molada claims the enigmatic boy has released Emptiness, a dark destructive force, on the crystal. Chapter 2: The Isle of Forgotten Saints After the player defeats the Empty at the mothercrystal, Nag'molada and the player are teleported to a distant land, which they later learn to be the Tavnazian Archipelago. While the player is unconscious, a trio of Tarutarus known as the Chebukki triplets steal the amulet from his possession, thinking it belongs to Prishe, the leader of their settlement. Nag'molada and the player arrive at the Tavnazian Safehold and are greeted by Justinius, who is wary of them but asks them to rest there until Prishe returns. They meet with an elder, Despachiaire, who explains that he and other survivors from the Tavnazian Marquisate were led to safety by the Cardinal Mildaurion during the war. The survivors have since lived in isolation because the landbridge connecting it to Quon was destroyed. Nag'molada volunteers their aid to slay a minotaur lurking in the nearby Phomiuna Aqueducts in an attempt to gain their trust and confirm his own suspicions about a precious artifact there. Prishe returns with her good friend Ulmia after patrolling the vicinity and informs the town that fierce monsters and a dragon have gathered at Cape Riverne. She lets the two castaways stay on account of their good deeds. Prishe returns the player his amulet, which is identical to an amulet she had received from the cardinal. Despachiaire postulates that the dragon that appeared could be Bahamut, as depicted in a painting of the city of Al'Taieu given to them by Grezzo of the Tenshodo. At Misareaux Coast, Ulmia is singing the first verse of the Lay of the Immortals. When Nag'molada hears this, he is impressed and shares the second verse of the song, also known as the Memoria de la S^tona, with her. He reveals that the song continues with a third verse that is sung only by the gods. Prishe intends to confront Bahamut in Cape Riverne for answers and finds out that Nag'molada and the Chebukki triplets have already headed there. Prishe, Ulmia and the player arrive at Cape Riverne to find that it has been spacially distorted. At the Monarch Linn there, Nag'molada sings the Memoria de la S^tona to Bahamut, proving to him that he is a Kuluu. Because of this, Bahamut decides to honor the pact he made with their race ages ago. An airship of Jeunoan scientists led by a mysterious woman appear and they subdue Bahamut with a magical web. Prishe and the player are attacked by a few mammets that resemble the scientists and defeat them, freeing Bahamut from his binds. In his fury, Bahamut teleports Prishe, Ulmia, the Chebukki triplets and the player away. In Delkfutt's Tower, Nag'molada meets with the woman, Esha'ntarl, who is revealed to be a Zilart and a fellow member of the Armathrwn Society. She chastises him for approaching Bahamut alone, and blames him for letting Bahamut and the mysterious boy escape. Chapter 3: A Transient Dream Prishe and the player regain consciousness in Gustaberg. Blaming the airship for what happened, Prishe confronts Cid in Bastok and then heads to Jeuno to find her old friend Grezzo at the Tenshodo, with hopes that he can ready a boat back to Tavnazia for her. Grezzo, who is Aldo's father, is long gone. However, Aldo agrees to help Prishe return to Tavnazia as he recently received a request to travel to Tavnazia, and can allow her to ride along with the other passenger's consent. The player is wanted for treason in Jeuno and turns himself in to prove his innocence. Esha'ntarl, the duke vicarious receives an audience from the player and Tenzen, a messenger from the Far East, who states that the Emptiness is rapidly swallowing the land in the Far East, signalling the return of the Keeper of the Apocalypse. Esha'ntarl suspects the enigmatic youth may be the keeper and tasks the player with his capture to prove his innocence. The Chebukki triplets appear in Windurst and attempt to find their long lost father, going as far as to claim Yoran-Oran and Honoi-Gomoi to be the one. To avoid ridicule from Shantotto and Koru-Moru, Yoran-Oran gets the player to procure a Mimeo Mirror, an object that can view memories, in order to clear his name. The triplets leave Windurst with the belief that their father is the late Karuha-Baruha and look for Nag'molada in Jeuno. Ulmia appears in San d'Oria and tries to find out more about opening the gates to Paradise to no avail. However, she discovers that Cardinal Mildaurion may still be alive. The player meets with Louverance, a descendant of Francmage and learns that the Allied Expedition was originally set up by Bastok. Cid later explains he was the one who got Bastok to send the expedition to the Northlands after being sold a piece of magicite said to be a fragment of the crystal known as the Star of Tavnazia found there. Nag'molada and the Chebukki triplets return to Tavnazia by airship. Prishe suddenly falls unconscious and is taken to the infirmary by Tenzen. Her amulet appears to be missing and she struggles violently in her sleep. The player gives his amulet to Prishe, which stabilizes her condition. Monberaux reports that the boy who gave the player the amulet has been spotted in the ruins of Pso'Xja. Tenzen and the player try to locate the boy in Pso'Xja but stumble upon The Shrouded Maw where they surprisingly find Prishe lying there. They battle with Diabolos and realize that he has drawn them into his dreamworld. The mysterious boy appears and rescues Prishe from the dream before escaping. Tenzen reveals his blade houses the avatar Phoenix and implores Diabolos to help defeat the Emptiness. Diabolos claims there is no salvation from the Emptiness and offers the dreamworld of Dynamis as an eternal escape from reality but is refused. Prishe awakens in Jeuno. Tenzen explains that Diabolos and Phoenix are two of five terrestrial avatars born to protect Vana'diel, along with Carbuncle, Fenrir and Bahamut. Tenzen is revealed to be the one who hired transport to Tavnazia. He invites Prishe and Ulmia to join him on the trip there to seek Bahamut out for answers. Chapter 4: The Cradles of Children Lost On arriving at Tavnazia, Tenzen wishes to get to Bahamut before the Jeuno army arrives and joins Ulmia, who had gone to seek answers from Bahamut, at Cape Riverne. At the Monarch Linn, the wyrmking Bahamut has summoned his minions to prepare for war. Bahamut mocks Tenzen's request for aid and sends Ouryu to attack them. After the player withstands the fury of Ouryu, Bahamut claims that Phoenix is wasting her time trying to defeat the Emptiness and gets her to sing the third verse of the Memoria de la S^tona. When the party recognizes the song, Bahamut is impressed by their knowledge. He reveals that a child who knew the fourth verse of the song made a pact with him to destroy all of mankind, to be fulfilled when the Keeper of the Apocalypse returns. Bahamut then flies away with his wyrms. The party learns that the Emptiness is the will of the Twilight God, Promathia. It is said that Promathia cursed mankind for their sins of trying to reach Paradise. Nag'molada blames Tenzen for interfering with the Duchy's plans to stop Bahamut and requests for the player to bring the amulet he had received to the fourth mothercrystal found below Castle Zvahl. Prishe reveals that she had an accident as a child after coming into contact with an object deep below the church and has stopped ageing since then. Ulmia and Tenzen ask for Prishe to accompany them to the Northlands to track down the boy and find out more about the Emptiness. She suggests that they can ask Promathia directly in the Sacrarium, where a statue of Promathia is housed. Prishe holds her hands out to the statue to hear the voice of Promathia and claims the Twilight God desires for his own resurrection, and his own death. Despachiaire blames Prishe for Tavnazia's misfortune when he learns that she had communed with Promathia. An Elvaan knight by the name of Sir Louverance arrives at Tavnazia and claims to be sent by the San d'Orian Cathedral to search for the missing cardinal Mildaurion. She is believed to be involved in the theft of scrolls and scriptures. Louverance offers to take Prishe off Despachiaire's hands in exchange for any knowledge she might be able to share about the cardinal. Ulmia tags along as she feels her knowledge of Memoria de la S^tona, which she first learnt from Cardinal Mildaurion, may prove useful in solving the mysteries that lie before them. Ulmia, Tenzen and Prishe leave Tavnazia in Louverance's airship bound for San d'Oria. Chapter 5: The Return Home The airship arrives at Bastok instead of San d'Oria as it had been loaned from Cid. They convene at the Metalworks and learn that the Black Magicite from the Northlands had been brought back inside the baptismal vessel that Nag'molada had just stolen from the Sacrarium. Ulmia, Prishe, Tenzen, Louverance and the player head through the ruins of Pso'Xja to arrive at the Vazhl mothercrystal. Nag'molada and the mysterious boy both appear there. Nag'molada reveals that the baptismal vessel is actually the Eye of Altana, used to turn Emptiness into Magicite and that the amulet the boy gave to the player was once given to the Kuluu by the Zilart to contain the darkness and peer into their hearts as they had lost the Whisper of the Soul, an ability to communicate directly with the mind of another. The boy is revealed to be Selh'teus, a Kuluu who was the sole survivor of Al'Taieu when it was destroyed. When Selh'teus is subdued by Nag'molada, he communicates telepathically with Prishe and gets her to sing the fourth verse of the Memoria de la S^tona, causing the mothercrystal to resonate. This allows Selh'teus the opportunity to escape and touch the mothercrystal, causing Emptiness to spread around it. The player awakens in Promyvion separated from the rest of the party. He rescues Tenzen, Louverance and Ulmia who had all been swallowed by the Emptiness, before arriving at the Spire of Vahzl and joining with Nag'molada in trying to escape this realm. After the player defeats the Empty found there, Diabolos appears with Prishe and reveals his discovery that Selh'teus had come from Al'Taieu on a mission to protect the celestial capital, which had not been destroyed as previously thought but rests beyond the fifth mothercrystal. He explains that all souls are slaves to the will of Promathia and this is why Bahamut has set out to destroy everyone. Prishe resolves to kill the Keeper of the Apocalypse to break Bahamut's pact to destroy mankind. Escaping from Promyvion, the player reunites with Ulmia, Louverance and Tenzen at Cid's laboratory. Prishe is nowhere to be found and the Duchy has issued a warrant out for her arrest. Under the assumption that Selh'teus is the Keeper of the Apocalypse, Louverance, Tenzen and Ulmia each go their separate ways. Louverance returns to Tavnazia to investigate the celestial capital of Al'Taieu; Tenzen seeks the assistance of the prime avatar Carbuncle; and Ulmia tries to locate Prishe. In Tavnazia, Despachiaire explains of a painting that arrived from The Temple of Uggalepih and that it was Cardinal Mildaurion who identified the city depicted in it as Al'Taieu. A group of Mithra had demanded the painting returned to the temple but the Cardinal convinced them to allow it to remain in Tavnazia. Louverance seeks out the Mithran chieftainess of Windurst, Perih Vashai, for help. She explains that the Cardinal had struck a deal with the Mithra - that the means to perform the Mithran duty to awaken the sleeping gods had been prepared in Tavnazia - which was never fulfilled. She states that the Mithran sin hunters never forgive a crime and are now pursuing Prishe, to atone for the Cardinal's sins. Honoi-Gomoi passes Louverance the Mimeo Mirror and relays information about the bounty hunter "Goldmane" who resides on an island in Bibiki Bay. Using the Mimeo Mirror and some coercion, Louverance confronts the bounty hunter Vukki-Chebukki for information. Vukki-Chebukki reveals that he was on a secret mission to find the path to Al'Taieu but discovered that it only opens once every hundred years. Louverance and the player head to Movalpolos, where Moblins appeared from the depths of Vana'diel around 100 years ago. Louverance postulates that this is where the statue of Promathia was dug up from and that it may lead to Al'Taieu. Deeper in Movalpolos, they find Selh'teus and Moblins singing praise of Promathia to him. They meet with a Galka named Jabbos who has been living with the Moblins for a long time. The Chebukki triplets arrive at Movalpolos and a fight ensues with the Moblins but it is stopped by Jabbos. Selh'teus escapes and the triplets give chase. Jabbos reasons with the Moblins that Selh'teus is not Promathia. He explains that the Moblins had initially been searching for an iron giant bathed in light but instead found a stone statue of Promathia and started believing that they were children of Promathia. A Tavnazian priestess who removed the statue of Promathia from Movalpolos had told Jabbos that the Moblins were not children of Promathia as he had died long before the beastmen were born. The Moblins then continued to dig in the caves until they found the mothercrystal. Overhearing this, the Moblins are upset that Jabbos betrayed them and say goodbye to him. Jabbos decides to join Louverance in his quest. At La Theine Plateau, Carbuncle appears to Tenzen and explains that he intends to wake the slumbering gods to prevent Promathia from returning. He offers the power he once granted to the Kuluu to Phoenix in order to rejuvenate her. Tenzen and the player learn that Jeuno is mobilizing the Ducal Guard for an attack on Bahamut before he ambushes the cities of Vana'diel. Monberaux tells Tenzen that Selh'teus was first found within a locked chamber in Delkfutt's Tower and uses his childhood friendship with Wolfgang to obtain the key for the player. Esha'ntarl asks for the players help to protect the mothercrystals. She believes Prishe's safety is threatened and hopes to find her soon. When Nag'molada argues with the Armathrwn Society over the plan to capture Selh'teus, Esha'ntarl reveals that she possesses the other amulet and beckons Selh'teus to fulfill the pact. At the locked chamber in Delkfutt's Tower, Nag'molada explains that this is where the Crystal line connecting the 5 mothercrystals converges, and that the Crystal Terminal found here can be used to control it. Looking through the terminal's records, he finds out that Selh'teus had come here through the Crystal line. Selh'teus had been draining light from the mothercrystals, causing the Emptiness to form around them. The memory of the terminal reveals that Esha'ntarl was once a Kuluu like him but removed her Emptiness in the Chamber of Eventide to become a Zilart again. Phoenix gets Tenzen to consult with Fenrir in Pso'Xja. There, Fenrir shows a vision of 1000 years past. In the vision, Esha'ntarl claims that she would continue Selh'teus's plan to defeat the Keeper of the Apocalypse and requests for Fenrir to divine when and where the Keeper would appear. Fenrir's divination reveals that the Keeper of the Apocalypse will rise 1000 years later in Tavnazia. In San d'Oria, Ulmia's search for Prishe comes to no avail. She learns from the High Priest Chasalvige that the 5 completed verses of the Memoria de la S^tona can be used to call forth the gods. At the manor of Yoran-Oran, the Mithran Tracker Shikaree Y confronts the former minister as she suspects he harbors magicite. Along with the help of Dr Shantotto, Prishe appears and reveals that the magicite is imbedded in her chest. Shikaree Y takes Prishe to Attohwa Chasm to meet with the 2 other Mithran Trackers. In the Boneyard Gully there, the tracker Shikaree Z, who had met Prishe many years ago, accuses her of crimes committed and demands payment for the sins of Cardinal Mildaurion. The Mithran Trackers attack but are subdued by the player. Prishe discovers that the Star of Tavnazia is in the Uleguerand Range and heads there. At the Bearclaw Pinnacle, Prishe reveals that the Star of Tavnazia, once part of the magicite formed within her, was the magicite that poisoned the minds of the members of the Northlands Expedition. The crystal of the beastmen's Divinity of Darkness that once lay here had been shattered, which meant that the completed Lay of the Immortals had been sung in its presence. After defeating the Snoll Tzar that lurks there, Prishe reclaims the Star of Tavnazia and runs off. At the Metalworks in Bastok, Cid reveals that Bahamut has been found beyond the sea of clouds and is working on an airship that can reach that height. Tenzen and Cid come to the possible conclusion that Prishe might be the Keeper of the Apocalypse. Prishe is spotted in Jeuno, and so everyone sets off for Jeuno to find her. Chapter 6: Echoes of Time Prishe surrenders herself to the Jeuno authorities. The party of Louverance, Tenzen, Shikaree Z, and Jabbos gather at a tavern in Jeuno. They come to the conclusion that Prishe is the Keeper of the Apocalypse who Mildaurion intends to use to awaken the Twilight God. Meanwhile, the Jeunoan airship armada is ready for deployment. At the Misareaux Coast, Esha'ntarl meets with Selh'teus and he shares a vision of Al'Taieu with her. Nag'molada ambushes them, but Selh'teus manages to escape. Although Esha'ntarl tells Nag'molada that Al'Taieu is no longer the place it once was, he insists on traveling there to use the Chamber of Eventide to restore his Whisper of the Soul. Nag'molada threatens to kill Esha'ntarl but is stopped by the Chebukki triplets who had warned of Nag'molada's treachery. In Jeuno, Esha'ntarl reveals herself to Prishe and Ulmia and they realize that she is Cardinal Mildaurion. Esha'ntarl explains that defeating the Keeper of the Apocalypse will only set the darkness free to reincarnate in another body, and that the only way to break the cycle is to resurrect Promathia and defeat him in the form of a god in the presence of the mothercrystal. Although this was her plan from the beginning, the Emptiness within Prishe was turned to magicite by accident, and Ulmia's knowledge of Memoria de la S^tona remains incomplete. Ulmia tracks down Emeline, a fellow member of the Tavnazian choir who knew the final verse of Memoria de la S^tona but has lost her memory. With the help of Louverance and the Mimeo Mirror, Ulmia is able to learn the fifth verse of the song from her forgotten memory. Borrowing Cid's airship, the party that gathered in the tavern and the player attempt to join up with the Jeunoan armada in the skies. When they are fired at, they board the armada warships to investigate. Prishe is found on board one of the airships and they are set upon by Nag'molada with mammets and biological weapons. In a bid to satisfy Nag'molada, Prishe reveals that a path to Al'Taieu exists in Movalpolos. In turn, Nag'molada sings out to summon Bahamut to the armada and destroy them. Prishe reasons with Bahamut that the Emptiness within her has been contained in magicite. Bahamut reveals that Prishe is no longer the Keeper of the Apocalypse and that the true Keeper lies in Al'Taieu, which will soon fall into Vana'diel as the fifth mothercrystal's power has begun to fade. Bahamut declares that if he destroys mankind, there will be nothing for Promathia to envelop and He will not have the strength to enter Vana'diel. When Prishe and the player challenge Bahamut's position, he attacks the airship with megaflare in rage. Tenzen counters the attack with the power of the Phoenix Blade, allowing the rest time to abandon ship. Chapter 7: In the Light of the Crystal The attack against Bahamut failed but he was dealt a critical blow. In a bid to stop Bahamut's attack, Phoenix has sacrificed herself, releasing all power from the Phoenix Blade. Esha'ntarl meets with the rest in the tavern at Jeuno to plan on how to reach Al'Taieu. She warns of danger to the Moblins as they have knowledge and access to the fifth mothercrystal. At Movalpolos, the moblins appear to be severely injured. Nag'molada had used the path they dug for Selh'teus to reach Al'Taieu and caved it in behind him to prevent from being followed. As the moblins are too weak to dig, the party devises another way to reach the celestial capital. Cid mentions that a strange red light shooting up from the Sea of Shu'Meyo has appeared. He sends the party out to obtains supplies and studies the Eye of Altana in order to repair his airship faster. As Prishe, Ulmia, Tenzen, Louverance, Jabbos, Shikaree Z and the player set forth toward the red beam, the airship is hijacked by the Chebukki triplets. Acting on Phoenix's final instructions to him, Tenzen attempts to kill the player but fails. The red light engulfs the airship and the party is teleported to the fifth mothercrystal at Al'Taieu. Unlike the other four mothercrystals, the one at Al'Taieu feels devoid of warmth. Selh'teus explains that Al'Taieu and its mothercrystal were sunk into the sea and pulled into another dimension, but that it descends to Vana'diel as it's light is slowly being drained. He had planned to gather the light from the four other mothercrystals to power the one in Al'Taieu and chose the player as the vessel to carry such light as he could not do so himself. At this point, Nag'molada ambushes Prishe, seizing hold of her amulet and using it to draw the light of the mothercrystals out of the player. Chapter 8: Emptiness Bleeds Arriving at Al'Taieu, the player and the others hear voices beckoning them to the Grand Palace of Hu'Xzoi. They resolve to find the Zilartian King in there. Within the palace, the player regains the light of the four other mothercrystals. They arrive at the Chamber of Eventide where the Dawn Maiden Yve'noile rests in slumber. Selh'teus explains that the collective Emptiness extracted from the Kuluu within the Chamber of Eventide had manifested into an incarnation of Promathia which Yve'noile had managed to seal within the audience chamber. After defeating the Zdei guarding the hallway, the player arrives at the audience chamber. Wanting to discover the truth, Nag'molada breaks Yve'noile's seal and frees Promathia. Promathia swallows Nag'molada in Emptiness and absorbs him, allowing him to learn that the children of Vana'diel are born from Promathia. Promathia then attempts to breach into Vana'diel. Prishe and the player are drawn into the Empyreal Paradox at the lowest level of the Zilartian palace, where Selh'teus attempts to slow Promathia's advancement. Together they battle Promathia in a final confrontation. As Promathia comes close to defeat, Prishe throws the Star of Tavnazia at him, and the player unleashes the light of the mothercrystals, causing the tears of Altana to rain down. Promathia is finally defeated and the lifeforce returns to the mothercrystal. It is revealed that as Emptiness is the embodiment of death itself, even a god would die when faced its power. Altana was the one who split the original mothercrystal into five parts to create the race of people and contain the Emptiness into smaller parts, hence creating Vana'diel. Selh'teus pledges to remains in Al'Taieu and watch over the world while everyone else return to Vana'diel. Louverance, Jabbos, the Chebukki triplets, Shikaree Z and Tenzen go their separate ways, with the latter two returning to their homelands. Esha'ntarl commends the player's efforts and decides to stay in Jeuno to monitor the Zilart. Prishe and Ulmia return to Tavnazia to live peacefully. Prishe regains the Emptiness within her as her imbedded magicite melts away, and she becomes mortal again. Music Chains of Promathia sees new music being introduced for areas and battles within the expansion. As with the previous expansion, all new music is composed and arranged by Naoshi Mizuta with exception of three tracks that are arranged versions of riffs taken from "Memoro de la Ŝtono", which is composed by Nobuo Uematsu. This expansion also sees the return of Uematsu to Final Fantasy XI in the form of vocal track "Distant Worlds", featuring opera soprano Izumi Masuda, which serves as the theme song for the title. Once Chains of Promathia is installed, a new track "Unity" is played once, in place of the "Vana'diel March" on the Final Fantasy XI title screen. This introduction of new title screen music will become a tradition that continues on with subsequent expansion packs. Unlike with the previous expansion, not all new tracks were added with the release of the expansion but were included in subsequent version updates. Starting from 2 tracks in this expansion, all music files added to the game would also be encoded in ATRAC. A number of tracks used in the Chains of Promathia expansion are not featured in the Original Soundtrack but have since been released on the Unreleased Tracks disc in the Final Fantasy XI Original Soundtrack Premium Box. Gallery Trivia *''Chains of Promathia'' has a reputation among players as being the hardest expansion in Final Fantasy XI. At its release, the content for the missions were so hard that only a handful of players were able to progress through the story. This difficulty would subsequently be reduced in various ways in later version updates, such as by removing EXP loss and lifting the level cap imposed on mission battlefields. *''Chains of Promathia'' is well remembered by players as having one of the longest storylines in Final Fantasy XI. The sheer number of characters, story arcs and extensive cut-scenes with detailed storytelling were also unprecedented in the game at the time of its release. *''Chains of Promathia'' was once considered the hardest expansion in the game. The vast majority of the areas must be unlocked, and many of the areas have a level restriction on them, not to mention enemies that can see/hear through stealth effects. Out of all expansions, it involves the most amount of battlefields and NM fights that need to be won. In spite of this, Chains of Promathia is known by some to be the most epic storyline in Final Fantasy XI. *As of the June 2010 update, the level caps of the Chains of Promathia areas and mission battlefield events have been lifted, and now only apply to empty notorious monster (ENM) battles and Chains of Promathia quests with level restrictions such as "The Big One" and "Return to the Depths". Provided a character is sufficiently leveled, many early missions can now be completed solo with relative ease. Many later missions, however, are still designed to provide a challenge for groups of high level players. External Links *[http://www.playonline.com/ff11/promathia/ Official Japanese site] *[http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/promathia/ Official North American site] *[http://www.playonline.com/ff11eu/promathia/ Official European site] de:Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia ru:Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia * 3 11b